During the second round of 90-minute, closed-session interviews on Oct. 30, commissioners grilled officials with Derecktor and Fort Pierce Yacht & Ship about job finances, business operations and job training.

The commission wasted no time and immediately asked Derecktor about its three bankruptcies between 2008 and 2012.

“What safeguards do you have in place to not go into that same scenario in the future?” Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said.

Derecktor officials said two of the bankruptcies happened in Connecticut locations where the company was building custom vessels. Those contracts began to dry up during the Great Recession. And a third was done at the advice of legal counsel.

A Derecktor official told commissioners the company would not build large custom vessels at the port.

Derecktor said if it receives the county bid, it would focus on repairs to mega-yachts or sail boats.

For Fort Pierce Yacht, the commission was interested in the company's organizational structure.

Haack, who brought the first mega-yachts to the area three years ago, told commissioners he would oversee the repair-and-refit process with Woods overseeing the hiring.

Woods owns 75 percent of the company. Mack and Woods' daughter, Amber Woods, has a 10 percent stake, with the remaining five percent owned by Haack, according to financial records Fort Pierce Yacht submitted to the county.

According to proposals submitted to the county, Fort Pierce Yacht estimates it would hire 63 employees the first year and 163 employees by the fifth year. Derecktor estimates 83 employees in the first year and 173 employees by year five.

Haack told commissioners he has used county residents before with his vessels and was pleased with the results. Fort Pierce Yacht officials said they would create a three- or four-year apprenticeship program where employees learn and earn a paycheck.

“I’m doing this for the city and the community of Fort Pierce,” Woods said. “I live here. I own 70 acres of land in St. Lucie County. Fort Pierce has a bad reputation that we need to fix, and that’s why I’m doing this.”

Derecktor officials told commissioners it, too, would train residents but would initially use skilled workers from South Florida. Derecktor cannot afford to move its entire workforce from Dania Beach to Fort Pierce because it would hurt its business, officials said.

Making the underdeveloped, 290-acre port into a mega-yacht repair center is a key component in the county and Fort Pierce’s economic-development plan to bring jobs to the northwest part of Fort Pierce.

The county purchased the 12.5-acre Indian River Marine Terminal building for $25 million. The company chosen would be responsible for leasing the property from the county, operating the repair center and buying and installing lifts and other equipment.

The County Commission acts as the port authority, but Fort Pierce's planning and zoning rules apply because the port is within the city.

CLOSE

Stan Payne, director of the Port of Fort Pierce, holds a meeting and tour of the Port of Fort Pierce on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, for representatives of companies interested in bidding on operations for a mega-yacht repair company at the port.
ERIC HASERT/TCPALM